Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Nashville, TN

April 4, 1989Lewis County, Maury County, Tennessee

NWS Nashville, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 1989, 12:24 AM CDT for Lewis County, Maury County, Tennessee. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 4, 1989, 12:24 AM CDT (05:24 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1989, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Nashville, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lewis County, TN, Maury County, TN

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 4, 12:45 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Maury, TN

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 88 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1989-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 119 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1989-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 337 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
119 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-120 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
337 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
419 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBNA 040525
TORBNA
TNC101-119-040600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1224 AM CDT TUE APR 4 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE
          ...EASTERN LEWIS...MAURY
 
THE SHERRIFF AT HICKMAN COUNTY AND THE SHERRIFF AT LEWIS COUNTY
REPORT A FUNNEL CLOUD SOUTH OF HOHENWALD TENNESSEE MOVING EAST.
THE STORM RESPONSIBLE WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN LEWIS COUNTY AND
INTO WESTERN MAURY COUNTY IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE aOF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 10:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1000 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE UNTIL 2 AM
CDT...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO EXTREME NORTHWEST
MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
JUST ENTERING STEWART AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES.

GUSTY WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 11:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1100 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE UNTIL 2 AM
CDT...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY SOUTHWEST ACROSS MONTGOMERY AND
HOUSTON COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND CONTINUED
INTO WEST TENNESSEE TO NEAR JACKSON.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS IN SOUTHERN MONTGOMERY
COUNTY SOUTH OF CLARKSVILLE TENNESSEE.

GUSTY WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Nashville, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXPerry, Wayne67 min
Apr 3, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXHumphreys67 min
Apr 4, 12:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXHickman, Lewis44 min
Apr 4, 12:52 AM CDTTornado WarningOHXRutherford, Wilson38 min
Apr 4, 1:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXMacon, Smith, Trousdale52 min
Apr 4, 1:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXClay, Jackson, Putnam40 min
Apr 4, 1:40 AM CDTTornado WarningOHXCannon, Rutherford, Wilson35 min
Apr 4, 1:40 AM CDTTornado WarningOHXDeKalb35 min
Apr 4, 2:00 AM CDTTornado WarningOHXWhite45 min
Apr 4, 2:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXWarren31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.